More Powder Rooms Papered

Wallpapered powder rooms send a clear message about style.

Wallpapered powder rooms are often designed as a statement rooms or to impress guests. And because their space is usually jewel-box size, many home owners take some chances on strong color, or pattern — the kind only wallpaper can provide

When I see a large-scale abstract pattern dominate the walls, it’s clear that we’re in a contemporary house. Kelly Wearstler’s citrine and ivory Imperial Trellis paper, for Schumacher [top], blasts out in small spaces with a 6-3/4” horizontal and 14” vertical pattern repeat. That’s huge. Every with a traditional leaning Memoirs Stately sink (Kohler) it adds an aura of Hollywood Regency glamor that Wearstler extols.

Oversize Asian ceramic jars and parasols are blown up and rendered almost like woodblock prints in this densely patterned cocoa and cream wallpaper. Rather than fighting the paper, the geometric pattern of the tile floor supports it and the dark baseboard frames both. With such bold scale, keeping the mirror simple is smart, smart, smart. And doesn’t that Deco-style pedestal look silky sleek?

Nothing screams traditional more than blue and white toile wallpaper. So the task here was to add something unexpected, like the checkered vanity skirt. Still, I can’t help think that a vivid blue penny round tile floor, a minimalist sink and maybe even a blue ceiling would have gone a long way to making toile wallpaper look a little hipper. Always possible.

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